Realize
by writinginmemory
Summary: Short Jonya fluff, with a devious Cassie at work. Getting back into writing again, just working out some ideas


Hey Mom. Shooting range? Pick me up, 20?

Sonya glanced down at her phone then back at the quiet house her daughter shared with her father and Sonya's ex husband. Cass was never on time for anything, true, but there was no music blaring, nor was Cassie's car any where in sight.

The door was unlocked so she peek inside "Cass?" Nothing. "Cass, honey? You ready?" Sonya grazed her fingers over the gun strapped to her thigh holster. It was probably nothing, no need to worry but still...

Several cautious steps into the house, she called out again, "Cassandra?"

Very slowly, she eased her way to the living room, dark but for one small table lamp. She scanned the coffee table, where her daughter was prone to drop her purse and phone immediately after getting home. But it was empty, save a few magazines and Johnny's side arm..

Johnny? His big form was sprawled out across the couch. Had he...? No, after a moment his chest rose and fell, in the even rhythm of sleep.

Sonya quietly stepped closer, debating whether to wake him ask if Cass had run out for a minute. He'd been killing himself training, lately. No surprise he was napping. All day sparring and running drills followed by combat techniques with new recruits would exhaust a man half his age. But he was pushing himself without complaint.

Just this morning, she watched their daughter put him through the paces, playfully taunting her father while doing defense blocking drills. Johnny had kept up but Sonya found herself looking at him, worried. He looked tired.

"Cass," she stopped her daugther leaving the training room, "go easy on him, ok?"

But Cass had snapped back, angry. "You go easy on him, Mom."

That's why the text so was surprising. Cass had been hostile towards her earlier; then, wanting to hang out with her Mom at the shooting range? What was going on?

Better let him rest. Sonya knelt down next to him, gratified to the see the strain on his face now absent. His feature still held some of that trademark Johnny Cage boyish charm, with some maturity added now. Gently, she reached out and stroked the slight greying at his temples. Never would she say it out loud, he was too arrogant all ready, but this older, father and protector Johnny was incredibly attractive. The intensity of his love for Cass, evident in how hard he pushed himself to be involved in her chosen career...Sonya saw it each time she looked at him. Strange feelings twisted inside her heart and made her feel weak around him.

Her fingers trailed down his jaw. How odd. He was her ex husband. There were times he felt comfortable and predictable and then somedays, a new facet of his personality made her wonder if she knew him at all.

Let him sleep, she could find ...His eyes were open, watching her. "Hey."

Embarassed, she let her hand drop. "Hey."

"Miss me so much you had to break in and fondle my unconscious body?"

Snort. "Cass said to pick her up. But it looks like she changed her mind on me."

"Wait, what?" her ex husband rolled from his side to his back and scrubbed his hands over his eyes. "Babe, we've been set up."

"How?" Not that she couldn't see Cass pulling something to force her parents together.

John pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table. " Text, about a half an hour before you got here. Said she lost her house key and needed me here to let her in."

"I thought we were past this stuff. She hasn't tried pushing us together since-"

"High school, " he finished for her. "I know."

"What the hell brought this up again?"

He sighed. "Sooo, yea. I have a friend who ...I'm kind of seeing now. It's only been a couple times but Cass, she lives here and she had to know about it eventually. Sat her down yesterday and got it out in the open."

"Oh." It was the weirdest thing, how her heart suddenly hammered, how it felt uncomfortable to amiable mood she'd been in shifted. Of course he was dating again. The guy was a good looking, successful movie star with an excellent body and that funny smart ass personality his fans adored. Reason stood that someone else was going to adore it too.

"I'm sorry, didn't know if I should tell you or when I should say anything. I mean, there's not really rules of etiquette for this stuff.." He sounded as awkward as she felt.

"It's ok. I'm happy for you.." she stumbled. The stilted platitude made her wince. "It was going to come up sooner or later. You're..." she made a dry laugh. "you. Handsome and funny." Great now she starting to babble. She was a soldier. Pull it together, Blade. "Look, I want you to have someone who makes you happy."

"I had you." When he said that, she had to look away, lock her gaze on the floor. He was watching her, she could feel it, but she didn't know what to say.

"And I made you miserable, " another humorless laugh bit back. To her shame, she-badass Gen. Blade-felt the first hot tears start to well. "Not the time or place to get into this. I'll deal with our daughter later." Without waiting for his response, she stood and strode away. Something was wrong and it took her only seconds to realize what was happening.

He wasn't following. Johnny, who was always following right behind her, always chasing her, wasn't there. Not now. His life was moving on. When she left this time, it was really done between them. Going through the front door now meant that she was conceding her place in his world and stepping aside for her successor.

Maybe she should. Her shoulders slumped and she found her steps frozen with her hand on the door. Another woman could make him happy where she had failed so spectacularly.

Oh Cass, you knew. Your mother was so busy saving the world and you knew I still need him.

Then I have to fight. It was possibly too late and she was risking a devastating level of rejection here but...If I'm going down, might as well go big.

"Johnny?" she leaned against the doorframe of the living room. He stood up when she had come back in. "This woman, the one you're seeing?"

"Yea?

"It's not going to work out. "

"Oh, I gotta hear this." he was grinning. " What's the punchline?"

Feeling bolder, she slowly walked towards him. " It's not going to work out when she finds out you're still sleeping with your ex."

"Am I, then?"

Laying her palms flat against his chest, she slid her arms up to his shoulders, tugged him forward. Eyes still on his, she let her hands slid into his and their fingers intertwine. Vulnerable though she felt, there was something in how he was looking at her that made her smile. With her lips only just brushing his, she whispered, "If you want to be."

 _Much later..._

What the...

Cass glanced away from her phone, pulling one headphone from her ear. Behind her, the front door closed.

Raising her foot, she stared at the fabric. Army green camo tee shirt that had been sitting on top of a boot left out in the middle of the...

Whoa. This was her size which was also Mom's size. Several feet away was the other boot, a man's long sleeved henley, and dangling from the staircase bannister, a pair of small fatigue pants...

The younger Cage grinned and quietly stepped back, letting herself back out of the house. Looks like she was crashing with Jacqui tonight.


End file.
